From Asim Munir’s Praise for Trump Over the India-Pakistan Truce to the Great American Hypocrisy

He began by reminding the audience that such “U-turns” in U.S.-Pakistan relations are not new. For decades, Washington has alternated between sanctions and support, driven more by tactical expediency than strategy. Ashraf noted that “Americans deal with short-term problems, rarely thinking about long-term consequences,” citing how the U.S. often overlooks Pakistan’s duplicity when it serves immediate interests.

The Ambassador also traced structural tensions within India–U.S. ties, observing that the geopolitical order which once underpinned the partnership “no longer exists.” While the U.S. focuses on containing China, Trump’s transactional approach, he said, treats allies as optional. India, therefore, must avoid “oversignaling” alignment without settling the terms of its bilateral relationship.

On Pakistan’s growing visibility through its Saudi ties, Ashraf downplayed its military impact but warned that Islamabad was “never truly isolated.” Global perception, he argued, still sees Pakistan as a credible force—an image reinforced after recent cross-border confrontations.

Concluding the session, Barkha Dutt reflected that Trump’s shifting stance, from calling India the “tariff king” to embracing Pakistan, exposes how quickly U.S. politics can reshape South Asia’s balance — and how carefully India must navigate its next moves.